Deliberations on the Role of Product Vision in User Experience Design: Outcomes of an Open Focus Group

Abstract

Creating a product vision is a common technique in the development of interactive products. Product vision is intended to serve as a point of orientation for design decisions around the product. However, the focus of product vision is often on functional or economic aspects, while the intended user experience (UX) is usually not described; this raises the question of what role product vision has in practice in the development of the UX. At the Barcamp of the German association for usability and UX professionals (GermanUPA), which took place at the conference ‘Mensch und Computer 2021’, a focus group of 27 user experience UX professionals reflected on the influence of product vision on user experience design. The aspects of influence mentioned were documented and summarised to serve as a starting point for future research. Among other points, it emerged that the integration of user experience into product vision and the use of visions within an organisation are relevant for research on the influence of product vision on UX design; additionally, the way UX professionals are involved in vision development and the vision’s use for design decisions are also important.